IO Interactive Responds to Controversial Hitman Absolution Trailer

When asked about the nature of the trailer and the subsequent backlash by fans, game director Tore Blystad stated (via IGN):

We’re sorry that we offended people – that was truly not the intention of the trailer. Of course we understand, this has been a very big topic for us and we’ve been reading as much as we could of the articles and responses. We were surprised that it turned into such a huge topic. Something similar happened with our Sniper Challenge pre-order bonus… We just wanted to make something cool, it wasn’t the intention to stir up anything.

Blystad added that the trailer wasn’t made to be controversial in order to attract attention, stating it was a “big surprise” to the development team. “It was never the intention to provoke people with it.” He continued to stress that the trailer stems from a level in the game that features the same name. It was shown, apparently, as “one of any number of potential scenarios.”

Commenting on the tight-fitting nun outfits depicted in the trailer, Blystad responded by saying the Hitman franchise has “always been extreme in many ways”.

The religious themes have been there from the very beginning, along with outlandish party scenes. And there are a lot of movie influences in Hitman Absolution, like Tarantino and Rodriguez. The grindhouse theme is something that we’re using throughout the game. It tends more towards sixties exploitation movies – these were a fascination [for us] because they were so extreme.

Hitman Absolution is due for a release on November 20th. The aforementioned trailer can be seen below.